1. Field of the Invention
This is a partial oxidation process in which synthesis gas having a controlled H.sub.2 /CO mole ratio and a CO-rich gas or substantially pure CO are simultaneously produced. Methanol may be made from the synthesis gas and reacted with the CO-rich gas or substantially pure CO to produce acetic acid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Synthesis gas may be prepared by the partial oxidation of a fossil fuel with a free-oxygen-containing gas, optionally in the presence of a temperature moderator. The effluent gas stream from the gas generator is cooled below the equilibrium temperature for the desired gas composition by, for example, direct immersion in water in the quench drum such as described in coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,927. By this method of gas cooling the sensible heat in the effluent gas stream is used to produce steam in the product gas.
Alternatively, the effluent gas stream from the gas generator may be cooled in a syngas cooler, such as shown in coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,717. However, by this method of gas cooling the effluent gas stream does not become saturated with the water required for subsequent water-gas shift reaction. Further excess solid particles entrained in the gas stream may become troublesome. In coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,429 in order to prepare an oil-carbon dispersion and a separate water-carbon dispersion which are simultaneously fed to a gas generator for producing fuel gas, a portion of the effluent gas stream is cooled in a waste heat boiler and then scrubbed with oil and another stream is quenched in water. Noncatalytic thermal shift is used to adjust the H.sub.2 /CO mole ratio of a single stream of synthesis gas in coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,717.